Petit Garden Hotel by Flacalco

The location worked perfectly for us, near the pine grove, harbor promenade, and Agulla Street. We were in Cala Ratjada for five days in October for a wedding and just wanted an affordable place to stay. Many thanks to the reception team: our flight got in very early, at 9:00 AM, and they put our room first. After breakfast at a café, we could check in just before 11:00 AM, even though the official time was 2:00 PM. The room was spacious and fine for a short visit, though basic and a little dated, especially the bathroom. The breakfast room coffee was the one real disappointment. It tasted like instant coffee and was undrinkable, so they could improve that. All in all it was fine for a few days, though I wouldn't choose it for a two-week stay.

The breakfast was very good and the location excellent, but I won't be returning. We had a long discussion with the manager before finding a solution to the room problem: the first night's room was different from, and significantly worse than, what we'd booked. Alejandro at reception repeatedly behaved in a way I found threatening toward me and my girlfriend. Cleanliness in the room seemed superficial. The faucets and mirror were never cleaned, and the bathroom door dragged on the floor. The toilet kept flushing noisily after use despite several repair attempts. On our last day the minibar stopped working and some food we'd stored in it spoiled. There were also signs of wear, including cracks in the walls.

We wanted a relaxing break, but this hotel didn't work for that. It's not in a particularly good location, and our room was loud and had a slight moldy smell. We asked in the morning about checking out late. At first they said no, then confirmed we could stay past 11:00, and later said past 12:00. But at 11:30 the cleaning staff came in and told us to leave straight away.

We turned up unexpectedly at 2:30 am for a one-night stay and were greeted warmly by a very patient man who spoke excellent French, which was a real help. The room was clean, the pool lovely, and the buffet breakfast was varied and very good, though it cost extra. In one room the shower had a few cold patches now and then, but it wasn't a problem.